President Trump announced on Tuesday that he was withdrawing the United States from the Iran nuclear deal. He said he also plans to initiate new economic sanctions on the country and any nation that helps Iran with nuclear weapons.
The decision marks the end of a previous agreement made in 2015 by former president Barack Obama and five other nations: the United Kingdom, France, Germany, China, and Russia.
As one of former president Barack Obama’s signature foreign policies, the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, or JCPOA, lifted previous sanctions that severely impacted Iran’s economy and cut nearly half of the country’s oil exports. In exchange for this, Iran pledged to limit their use of nuclear weapon.
But when speaking at the White House on Tuesday, Trump denounced the deal, claiming it was poorly negotiated and weak in its limitations.
“This was a horrible one-sided deal that should have never, ever been made,” President Trump said. “The Iran deal is defective at its core. If we do nothing we know exactly what will happen.”
Trump backed his decision by citing what he saw as flaws in the agreement. NPR reported that he called the provision that allowed Iran to continue their nuclear enrichment program in 2030 to be “totally unacceptable,” and that if it phased out, there would be an arms race in the Middle East.
Obama rarely comments on any decisions or changes in policies made by Trump, but according to TIME, the former president immediately condemned Trump’s decision to pull out of the agreement as “misguided and irresponsible.”
Obama continued, “In democracy, there will always be changes in policies and priorities from one Administration to the next. But the consistent flouting of agreements that our country is a party to risks eroding America’s credibility, and puts us at odds with the world’s major powers.
According to CNBC, Trump pulling out of the agreement could potentially strain relationships with US allies and affect the oil market.
After pushing Trump to maintain the deal, European officials criticized his decision to withdraw. After Trump’s speech, French President Emmanuel Macron tweeted.
France, Germany, and the UK regret the U.S. decision to leave the JCPOA. The nuclear non-proliferation regime is at stake.
— Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron) May 8, 2018
While Trump plans to reimpose Iran sanctions, it remains to be seen how this decision will impact the JCPOA agreement without the participation of the U.S.